Khulekani Magubane reported for Business Day on the objections to the BRICS summit, which will seek to solidify common ground on areas of importance, such as economic co-operation, for the BRICS countries. Bond and others are not convinced that the summit, and other co-operations amongst the member countries, will really benefit the majority poor and working-class in these nations.

Nongovernmental organisations and members of civil society critical of developments between emerging economies will hold their own summits alongside this month’s long-awaited Brics summit in Durban, as they are not convinced membership of the economic grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa will benefit the working class in South Africa or in other Brics nations.

Apart from being emerging economies, the Brics nations share common challenges such as infrastructure backlogs and what South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Co-operation calls the “triple challenges” of poverty, inequality and unemployment.